Happy Birthday Shama Sikander: Glamorous pictures of the Mann actress

टेलीविजन का जाना-माना चेहरा शमा सिकंदर अपनी ग्लैमरस अदाओं के लिए जानी जाती हैं। (फोटो: इंस्टाग्राम)

Shama Sikander is an Indian actress who is best recognised for her lead roles in TV series like Yeh Meri Life Hai (2003-2005) and groundbreaking web content like the short film Sexaholic and the mini-series Maaya: Slave of Her Desires.

On the big screen, Sikander has appeared in numerous Bollywood films, including starting her career with the 1999 Aamir Khan starrer Mann.

Sikander began her career on the big screen with small parts in Prem Aggan (1998, Hindi) and Mann (1999, Hindi) before landing a supporting role in Ansh: The Deadly Part (2002, Hindi). She first gained significant recognition on television as the title character "Pooja Mehta" in the popular Sony TV drama Ye Meri Life Hai (2003-2005). The performance earned her numerous nominations and awards, her wins including the 12th Annual Lion's Gold Awards' Critics' Choice "Best Actress"

Sikander's production company Shama Sikander Films Pvt. Ltd., founded in late 2017, is best known for the short film series Ab Dil Ki Sunn (2018 Hindi)

Her film debut came at the age of 16, in 1998 with the Hindi-language feature film Prem Aggan, produced and directed by acclaimed film personality Feroz Khan.After a friend suggested she screen test for the part, Sikander so impressed Feroz Khan that she landed the role, even though it had already been cast. Despite significant hype, the film, which also featured Feroz Khan's son Fardeen Khan's debut the film was a failure at box-office.

A year later Sikander appeared in the Amir Khan starer Mann (1999 Hindi) in a cameo as Kamini.Directed by Indra Kumar the film received mixed reviews and did not do well at the box office.

Though her feature films failed to establish Sikander as a box office success, her Television debut portraying the title character "Pooja Metha" in the popular Sony TV drama Ye Meri Life Hai (2003-2005) made the show a household name overnight, gave her "instant fame",and eventually elevated her to "one of the most loved faces on Indian television.